Tomorrow will mark two years since Watauga Deputy William Mast Jr. started his last shift of duty. By the early morning of July 26th, 2012, he was dead, as was the man who shot him as he answered a call in the Deep Gap area. With his death, the idea of honoring all the law enforcement
officers who died in the line of duty or while working as a sworn officer has turned into a tangible expression of the gratitude, the remembrance, and honor to those who died while protecting us. Watauga Sheriffs Office Captain Kelly Redmon said that the entire communitylaw enforcement and a host of othershave come together to create the memorial, working on the landscaping, putting in the turf, while others designed and put in the monument, All of the officers have taken part in this from the landscaping to the planning and everybody in the community thats put in an effort do thisthis has been overwhelming and fairly humbling for here us at the office. And to remember all of the officers whose names are on there, the family members also appreciate that. And Redmon said that the monument has personal meaning to each officer, Out of the six names on there, I personally knew four of them, and so its very important. We want them to know that were not going to forget what they did for us, for the community, and we all worked side-by-side for years and its really nice to remember them that way. Saturday evening at 7, the monument just outside the front door of the Watauga Sheriffs office will be dedicated in a ceremony that the entire community is invited to. It will have two parts, with the dedication at 7, then as dusk brings darkness, a candlelight service on the grounds. The community is invited and urged to come.